Swindon Street Reps are a group of volunteers who are passionate about making a difference in their local community. Started in 2015 by Swindon Borough Council Housing as a way of engaging tenants and residents in better communication with the council, the role evolved into a more active and diverse range of activities. One of the first and on going activities Street Reps engaged in was community litter picks. Litter is a real issue on the estates, especially off the main roads where it may be missed by clean up crews. Litter causes many issues to the environmental well being of both people and wildlife, plastic especially as it doesn’t break down. Street Reps sought to tackle this by running ‘litter pick parties’ where a group would focus on a few streets at a time and clean the area. They would also aim to inform and educate people on proper[…]

Addicted to Plastic – From styrofoam cups to artificial organs, plastics are perhaps the most ubiquitous and versatile material ever invented. For better and for worse, no ecosystem or aspect of human activity has escaped the shrink-wrapped grasp of plastic. Addicted To Plastic is a global journey to investigate what we really know about the material of a thousand uses, why there’s so much of it and what we can do about it. On the way we discover a toxic legacy, and the men and women dedicated to cleaning it up. We were pleased to show this film in July as part of our Plastic Free Swindon campaign. The film provides an excellent, well-rounded overview of plastics. We had a positive discussion about the issues that the film brings up, possible solutions and ways to get involved to make much-needed positive changes.

Our fifth Climate Cafe featured a talk and Q&A on Wildlife and Climate Change by Simon Smith, who spoke about how wildlife adapts to climate change, and what can we do to help? Simon answered these questions with a focus on our local wildlife. Having worked and volunteered in environmental conservation for over 30 years, Simon is passionate about our local wildlife and how science can be applied to prevent extinctions. This was another free event put on by SCAN, and hosted by our friends at Darkroom Espresso. Photograph – Adonis Blue, one of the species benefiting from climate change (taken by Simon)

The seeds of a better food system. In Our Hands explores a quiet revolution that is transforming the way our food is produced and distributed. Our current industrial food system is a vast and wheezing giant that is only upheld by a stilted subsidy regime that pays out to landowners and leaves many farmers by the wayside. But from the hedge-rows and by-roads, the fields and furrows can now be heard the stirring of change! Stories from the global South have inspired farmers and food workers in our snug little island, with the idea of food sovereignty and a global movement to take back control of the food system. From the grazier reviving the art of pasture, to the grower erecting a poly-tunnel in the heart of East London or the farmer saving a handful of ancient grain, a new agricultural landscape is emerging. Here rural traditions meet modern innovations[…]

The third in the Climate Cafe series took place place on Monday 29th January 2018 at Darkroom Espresso. This demo, talk and Q&A explored the Healthy Homes project, which has been a collaboration between Passive House expert Mike Neate, SCAN and others. The audience heard how to prevent heat leaks in your home by improving it’s air-tightness on a budget. And had the chance to ask Mike any questions they had on how to improve the energy flow within their homes. The Swindon Climate Cafes are a series of free talks and workshops focusing on all things ‘eco’ and environment, from the science, to the very hands on and practical. We hope you’ll join us for the next one!

SCAN organised a showing of Vegucated at The Victoria 12th February, 2018. Vegucated is an award-winning, guerrilla-style documentary that follows three meat- and cheese-loving New Yorkers who agree to adopt a vegan diet for six weeks. There’s Brian, the bacon-loving bachelor who eats out all the time, Ellen, the single mom who prefers comedy to cooking, and Tesla, the college student who avoids vegetables and bans beans. They have no idea that so much more than steak is at stake and that the fate of the world may fall on their plates. Lured with true tales of weight lost and health regained, they begin to uncover hidden sides of animal agriculture and soon start to wonder whether solutions offered in films like Food, Inc. go far enough. Before long, they find themselves risking everything to expose an industry they supported just weeks before. But can their conviction carry them when[…]

We would like to thank Dr Aaron Thierry of the University of Sheffield – who was the speaker at our second ‘Swindon Climate Cafe‘ on ‘The Brutal Logic of Climage Change‘. The even took place on Friday 24th November from 7 – 9pm, at Darkroom Espresso – many thanks to our friends at Darkroom for hosting us once again. The talk and Q&A / discussion comprised an overview of the latest science of climate change and made explicit the connections between the physical and ecological changes already taking place, with their impacts on human welfare. Dr Thierry highligthed the lack of ambition in the current emissions targets if we are to avoid extremely dangerous alterations to our environment, and showed the areas of opportunity where change could be made. If you missed it – you can see a version of his talk on YouTube at http://bit.ly/2nOD2RL Thanks to everyone who came to hear the talk and took part in the discussions which[…]

One of a number of films in the pipeline for the coming year, it shows the power of community action in a changing and challenging climate! Thank you to everyone who came along – SO happy to hear how it inspired some of you and to report that action is brewing as a direct result… watch this space 😉 Don’t worry if you missed it, look out for future screenings in Marlborough and Wroughton – both our Wroughton friends and Tansition Marlborough are keen to share this in the future too. A little bit about the film… “Showing solutions, telling a feel-good story… this may be the best way to solve the ecological, economical and social crises that our countries are going through. After a special briefing for the journal Nature announced the possible extinction of a part of mankind before the end of the 21st century, Cyril Dion and Mélanie[…]

A number of events took place in Swindon this year in support of this on-going The Climate Coalition campaign. These were among the more than 500! opportunities to get involved across the UK this year – which ranged from green heart sticker collection points, to craft sessions, community meals, demos, flash-mobs and even building of hearts that could be seen from the air – all to #ShowTheLove of the things which could be affected by climate change! #ShowTheLove Community pot-luck meal – 9th Feb SCAN hosted a community ‘potluck’ meal on Thursday 9th February at Swindon’s Central Community Centre.We were joined by a number of residents from across Swindon, who all brought good food to share and joined the conversation about the things they love that could be affected by Climate Change. It was also a great opportunity to meet new people and to just sit down and talk. Green[…]

Filmed in nine countries over four years, This Changes Everything re-imagines the vast challenge of climate change. Arranged jointly by SCAN and the Swindon Film Society, this film was shown in the Central Library on 28th January. Directed by Avi Lewis, and inspired by Naomi Klein’s international non-fiction bestseller This Changes Everything, the film presents seven powerful portraits of communities on the front lines, from Montana’s Powder River Basin to the Alberta Tar Sands, from the coast of South India to Beijing and beyond. Interwoven with these stories of struggle is Klein’s narration, connecting the carbon in the air with the economic system that put it there. Throughout the film, Klein builds to her most controversial and exciting idea: that we can use climate change as an opportunity to transform our failed economic system into something much better. Over the course of 90 minutes, viewers will meet: Crystal, a young indigenous leader in Tar Sands country, as she fights[…]

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Fwd from Repair Cafe: 'Exciting news! Incredible Edible have got enough helpers to be able to run a Crop Swap at the next Repair Cafe and Free Shop!Bring along your homegrown fruit & veg to swap, or take some away for a donation to Incredible Edible :-)'SCAN are also at this event - please see event details. ...

Thanks to everyone involved in making the first 'No Plastic Bands' gig at The Castle a good night. Eclectic music, good company, conversations about plastic (rock and roll!), shiny happy people laughing and we made some much-needed money towards the Refill Swindon campaign 🙂Next gig in August, details to follow shortly... ...